Gobble, gobble....

Yes, gobble gobble is what I did on Turkey Day! And I was not the only one. Thanks to Julie and Carlos, along with the help of CBD, for a tasty Thanksgiving meal. Their friends Nuria and Christophe (and their kids) joined all of us for a festive meal. Little Jordan was much quieter than usual, wondering, I think, why all these people were invading his kitchen! He really did seem to be looking around, taking it all in, not sure what to make of all the commotion. Adjusting to not being the center of attention.... Keeping him away from the stove earlier in the day when the turkey basting was going on was almost impossible. Nuria and Christophe were really interesting to talk to. Her job in artificial intelligence research sounds fascinating. Very cool guests.

I didn't think I'd really like the chocolate cake thing that looks like a loaf of bread, but I was wrong. It was really good and the not-quite-cooked spongy texture of it made it even better.

By then it was clear that I was catching Jordan's cold, in spite of all my efforts not to. The overwhelming urge to sleep on Tuesday and Wednesday should have been my clue.... So instead of going for a long walk like I should have to work off that huge meal I pretty much turned into a blob. I did build quite a nice little train course (not sure what else you would call it?) with the toy trains and wooden tracks. I don't think he is quite old enough to appreciate it, I think he would prefer to have my attention on him rather than on putting together train tracks at this point....but we had fun. He is such a cute kid, with a very strong will.

The weather in Seattle was pretty miserable, compared with the surprise warm up the Midwest was enjoying. One day it was really windy and they even had a rare thuderstorm! I must have brought that with me. The sun only peeked out now and then. Lots of rain. My long walks (in place of workouts) around Green Lake (nice view when it's nice) ended with me being pretty waterlogged. Rain parka, waterproof shoes, and one day Julie was kind enough to lend me her rain pants. I needed them, the day before my track pants got soaked! Me and the ducks. Lots of ducks. I did see kayakers and rowers out before it got dark. I walked mostly in the dusk/dark. Considering the yucky weather, there were alot of people out there with me. A guy in a team kit on a cross bike that I must have seen 7 or 8 times - meaning he made at least 7 laps around the lake. Hmmm, would that be a more exciting 7 times than our local road route? Yep, I think so. maybe. People with headlamps on and blinkies on their dog.... runners, walkers, a few bike commuters with panniers and/or messenger bags and blinkies.... I wanted to go check out Gregg's Greenlake bike shop and Title Nine, but it was hard to see in the rain and with my hood on, so I missed seeing where to leave the path to find the shopping area. At that time I thought we would be going to the REI sale later, so I didn't try that hard to find the stores. Interesting how some of us were all covered up and others were running in the cold rain with shorts and t-shirts. Forgot the ipod on the first walk but listened to Plans (Death Cab for Cutie) a couple of times on the second one. I lasted for about an hour and a half on each one. Feet started to ache in the new trail running shoes that were supposed to fit just like my last pair. I wish they would keep shoes the same and not change them! I missed my turnoff the first time in the dark, glad I had the map with me and that I could find a streetlamp to look at the map. I do wish I had gotten alot more exercise on this trip.

I really wanted to go to the REI sale at the huge REI flagship store. I enjoy looking at all that outdoor gear in one place. Multi-floored with all the gear goodies.... climbing wall, bike test trail, hiking test trail, and best of all, a kiosk with many flavors of chocolate covered cherries....mmmmm! I got some cherries at the airport but they seemed kinda stale. Shoulda been way chewier!! But it didn't work out so I had to content myself with staying up too late last night looking at all the stuff online. Thanks to Wendy M. for giving me a description some of the stuff I saw online from the dressing room of the store, and for trying it on, and for bringing what she bought over afterwards for me to try, too! Sorry I was such a bad influence - but you were going there to look at the same stuff yourself, I know you were!

J and C's house looks great. They really made some good choices, the first one being choosing that location and that house. If I figure out how to post pictures, I will someday put up a pic of the basement workout area. They cut part of the walls out of the basement bathroom to make room for the rowing shells. The double was a little too long to fit before that. I don't feel so bad about having bikes all over the place at home, etc. - we all make modifications for the things important to us - and it's different for everyone! C has a nice area to meet with his future coaching clients and videotape them on the erg. I think his business is going to be very popular, there seems to be a need for what he has to offer and I think he'll do a great job.

We helped J read student's papers and make corrections. I think I never learned how to write a "proper" paper! I just sat down and did it and no one ever said I should do it another way. She said the same thing- that we never learned the official way to do it, it was just sort of expected that we would write decent papers. Apparently alot of people learn a certain structure and that's what these college level papers were supposed to follow. I found it hard to concentrate on the papers - I think my brain is fried. I found it easier to correct the technical stuff - grammar, etc. than the content. One thing I did notice is that the papers seemed to be written at a high school level, not the college level that they were supposed to be. how do you tell someone their paper is seriously lacking in the content and research area? I got to see a little bit of a video of her practice teaching session before her first class. I'm glad they don't throw them to the wolves like they have done to alot of people I have known. A lot of professors I have known have said that they didn't get any training in actual teaching - they had to figure that part out when they got there. I think she will be very good at teaching. I am glad she is doing something that she is really enjoying, although juggling everything seems really stressful right now.

The flight home was good in that I had two empty seats next to me. On the other hand, It was awful in that my cold was full blown by then. On the descent, which seemed to take forever, I felt like someone was drilling holes in my head as the gunk was forced into my ears. It really hurt. really. alot. Until about two am I felt like I had earplugs in or a brick in my head or something. I couldn't hear very well and it seemed like I was underwater or something. Reminded my of how my ears felt in scuba diving class. Ugh.

At the airport the cab came within minutes of calling them. I lucked out, the guy's fare had bailed on him. This elderly couple had been waiting for an hour, so they asked if we could share a cab, which we did. The driver used to own a tavern, but standing all the time was killing him. So he is driving cabs now. Then I went and got food at the store. The one I wanted to go to was closed early for the holiday weekend. Then caught up on Gray's Anatomy and Ugly Betty from Thursday night until very late. This episode of GA was really disturbing to me. The deterioration of Cristina and Burke's realationship was painful to watch. And the end where she came home and he closed the bedroom door in her face after she betrayed him..... arrrrgh..... Wendy M. was wondering if they are going to retire Burke from the show. I hope not. I also hope that heart surgeon from the other hospital does not accept the chief's offer of a position at Seattle Grace.... she's no Addison or McSteamy....

I hope a good thanksgiving was had by all.